Group effort works again for Wheaton Warrenville South
Wheaton Warrenville South does not have a Division I star.
The Tigers may not even have anyone who will play in women's basketball college.
That can be a big problem - for their opponents.
Trinity was the latest team to find out just how difficult it can be to play a team in which all five starters can beat you at any given time.
"That's the best part about this team is it's not just one person," WW South senior Kylie Ruggles said. "It's everybody contributing, even people coming off the bench."
Ruggles came up big at both ends in the third quarter Monday and her teammates stepped up at different times as the Tigers rallied to beat Trinity 42-31 at the Coach Kipp's Hoopsfest at Willowbrook.
Ruggles tallied 7 of her 8 points, all 3 of her assists and a steal in the second half, while Mira Emma and MacKenzie Stebbins did most of their damage after halftime. Stebbins finished with a game-high 13 points while Emma added 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.
That came after a dreadful opening quarter in which the Tigers shot 2 for 15 and looked clueless against Trinity's zone defense.
"We had to adjust to playing against a zone, but it worked out," Ruggles said. "At halftime we talked about how we had to come out way more aggressive.
"First half we came out kind of lazy so we just talked about out we need to attack more. We were standing around way too much."
Trinity led 16-8 midway through the second quarter before Emma's 3-pointer triggered a 10-2 run to close the half. Ruggles scored on a pretty baseline floater with 3 seconds left to pull the Tigers (14-7) into an 18-18 halftime tie.
"It was a spark that caused a fire," said Emma, who will play soccer at Iowa State. "When Kylie comes through, it's huge. It motivates the rest of the team.
"Kylie has come through the last couple games, just hitting the 3s or any shot, whenever we need it, and getting the steals on defense. It's a real key."
Defense, of course, always is the key to success for the Tigers, who rely on it to win low-scoring games. That was the case again, especially in the decisive fourth quarter.
After Trinity's Arianna Raimonde tied the game at 29 with a pullup jumper, the Tigers held the Blazers scoreless for more than six minutes. They also committed only 7 turnovers, including 1 in the second half.
Emma's 3-pointer from the top of the key, off a Stebbins assist, gave WW South the lead for good with 6:35 remaining and was the beginning of a 13-0 run during which six players scored.
"We just had to keep up our defense," Emma said. "It's been our pride all year so we talked a little bit about squeezing in a little bit and not getting too spread out.
"We made sure we were closing the drives but also getting out on the shooters."
The Tigers shot 40 percent in the second half, good enough for another workmanlike victory.
"I thought we got some better looks, but it's still your defense," WW South coach Rob Kroehnke said. "We gave up 18 in the first half. I'm like, if you give up 18 again, we're fine.
"This is who we are. This is the way we're going to play and when we execute and we shoot well, we're going to do very well."